'EUIdeas: The Power of Knowledge' will take place in Florence Friday, 8 May 2026.
'EUIdeas: The Power of Knowledge' is the flagship research and public‑engagement event of the EUI’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Conceived as a full day of exchange and reflection, the event brings together academics, policymakers, civic actors, local authorities, the EUI community, alumni, and the wider public to explore how knowledge can guide Europe through the major societal and geopolitical transformations of our time.
Centred on the theme of the power of knowledge, the programme weaves together a series of coherent conversations inspired by the structural challenges and crises shaping Europe’s present and future. Through plenary discussions, thematic sessions, and networking moments, EUIdeas provides a space where research insights meet public debate, encouraging diverse perspectives and collaborative approaches to Europe’s most pressing issues. The event also celebrates the EUI’s longstanding contribution to thought leadership and its vision for the evolving role of universities in society.
Open to all stakeholders upon registration, EUIdeas transforms the Badia Fiesolana into a vibrant arena for interdisciplinary dialogue. By actively involving scholars, practitioners, artists, policymakers, and citizens, the event reinforces the EUI’s mission to generate public value, strengthen democratic life, and contribute intellectually to shaping Europe’s future.
Programme:
08:00 – 09:30 Registration, walk-in and welcome coffee
09:30 – 10:30 Refectory Keynote lecture
'Academic freedom: Rights, resilience and responsibilities 50 years on' by Siofra O'Leary, Visiting Professor, College of Europe, and Former President, European Court of Human Rights, EUI Alumna
Reflection, opening the discussion with Joseph H. H. Weiler, European Union Jean Monnet Chair, New York University School of Law; Senior Fellow, Harvard, and former President, EUI
Moderation: Maria Tadeo, Head of EU News and Correspondent, Euronews
10:40 – 11:40 CEST, Thematic sessions:
- The power of embodied knowledge: Reimagining peace and justice through a reenactment
- Strategic knowledge: European security in a turbulent world
- European history changes everything – A power of knowledge quiz
12:10 – 13:10 CEST, Thematic sessions:
- Who decides on our climate? The power of knowledge in environmental governance
- The European social model: Knowledge for a new era
- The power of culture in reimagining Europe
14:20 – 15:20 CEST, Plenary session: Future of universtities in the making
Within the intellectual framework of EUIdeas – The power of knowledge, this plenary session focuses on the university as a fundamental institution within Europe's knowledge ecosystem. It showcases the various ways in which the EUI and its partners are exploring and building the university of the future in Europe. The plenary showcases academic contributions, and positions European officials' interventions as a strategic European response and ensuring continuity between institutional reflection and European policy orientation.
Introduction:
- Laurène Le Cozanet, Research Fellow, EUI
Discussants:
- Benjamin Carver, Teacher in English for Academic Purposes, EUI
- Chiara Lacroix, Researcher, EUI
- Alexander Ludwig, Professor, EUI
- Frederico Menino, International Higher Education Scholar
- Milan Thies, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Lausanne
- Ewa Zakrzewska, Researcher, EUI
- Senior comment by:
- Katarina Bjelke, Director General, Swedish Research Council
15:30 – 16:30 CEST, Thematic sessions:
- The power of evidence for policy
- Knowledge at the border: Rethinking migration governance in a changing Europe
- Citizen Power Europe
17:00 - 18:00 CEST, Thematic sessions:
- Empowering diplomats: The power of ideas in negotiations
- Why Europe should (not) be strategically autonomous
- AI and the future of knowledge
18:10 – 19:00 Refectory closing plenary 'Time travelling to 2076: Co-imagining the power of knowledge'
How will the EUI look like in 50 years? What will its role be within Europe and the world of 2076? Through a creative and interactive format, we will ‘travel’ to the future to explore what it would take for the EUI to continue shaping Europe and the world in the decades to come. Designed and led by researchers, the session seeks to capture a diversity of perspectives – opening up space for hopes, concerns, and critical reflections from within and beyond the EUI community.
Moderator:
- Aurora Hamm, Researcher, EUI
Speakers:
- Leopoldo Pérez Obregón, Research Associate, EUI
- Khushi Singh Rathore, Fellow, EUI
- Hillena Thoms, Researcher, EUI
- Audience interaction: Martyna Zurowska, Master Student, EUI
- Note-taker: Anna Pelizzari, Researcher, EUI
Closing remarks by Patrizia Nanz, President, EUI
19:00 – 22:00 Tasting of local products (library garden)
19:30 – 20:00 Opera-Ballet "L'Europe Galante" – Performance by EUI Choir (EUI Church)
If you’re unable to attend in person, you can watch the plenary sessions via our livestream.
Register